Many electrically powered devices have no power cord or only a short power cord, and therefore require the use of an extension cord connected between the electrically powered device and an electric outlet. When the electrical apparatus is mobile, i.e. a string trimmer, an edger, a chainsaw, a vacuum cleaner, etc., the extension cord may become unplugged from the apparatus during movement. Therefore, various cord retention or strain relief devices have been used that secure the cord at or near the cord's end in order to absorb any force that might otherwise disconnect the cord from the electrical apparatus.
Generally, cord retention devices will be placed in the handle or housing of the electrical apparatus near the electrical apparatus' electric plug or receptacle. Numerous cord retention devices are known, including those with moving parts, that grab or clasp the cord when engaged. Other designs provide an aperture through which a loop of the cord is fed and then wrapped around a hook, thereby frictionally holding the cord in place. While such aperture and hook designs may be easy to use and are generally satisfactory in securing the cord, they undesirably may require the enlargement of the handle or housing in which the cord retention device is located. In order to feed a loop of the cord through the aperture, the aperture must be relatively large, and therefore, requires a large area on the handle or housing in which to place the aperture.